Former St. Cloud State head coach Charlie Basch passed away on April 20 at the age of 96.
Basch was initially hired as a football coach at SCSU in 1968 and was added the responsibilities of hockey head coach and taught classes using his biology degree.
Basch served as the head coach of the hockey for 16 seasons from 1968 to 1984 and ranks third all-time among Husky head coaches with 181 victories to his credit. The Huskies experienced seven winning seasons under Basch, including the 1973-74 campaign, which saw St. Cloud State post a mark of 15-6-2, his best season on the Husky bench. Basch helped the team transition to the newly formed Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) in 1980, its final conference affiliation in Division III before moving to Division I in 1987-88.
During his tenure, Basch guided seven Huskies to nine All-America honors, as he coached Ronald Gordon (1969-70), Paul Oberstar (1970-71), John Fitzsimmons (1972-73), Pat Sullivan (1973-74, 74-75), Dave Reichel (1977-78, 78-79), Rory Eidsness (1981-82) and Dan Pratt (1981-82). His Husky teams in the 1970s also featured future NHLer Steve Martinson and Jeff Passolt, a former news anchor for KMSP Fox 9 TV in the Twin Cities.
Basch oversaw much growth in the hockey community during his time in St. Cloud, as the team transitioned from playing its games outdoors to indoors in 1972 when the first indoor ice sheet open at the Municipal Athletic Complex (MAC). Basch helped spearhead this operation with former Husky Bill Frantti, who was coaching at St. Cloud Tech at the time.
